Classification
Not every rental belongs on the same schedule.
Short-term rental facts, guest services, average stay, and personal use can affect whether the activity is reported on Schedule E or Schedule C and what additional analysis is required.
Individual tax preparation, planning & real estate tax projects
Real Estate Investor CPA for Rental Property Owners.
Alpine CPA Services provides individual tax preparation, planning when it adds value, and focused real estate tax projects for rental property owners. The practice specializes in the individual tax issues behind STRs, LTRs, house hacks, depreciation, property sales, and exchanges.
Licensed Colorado CPA
Rental-property tax focus
Secure virtual process
1040Individual-return focus
STR + LTRScope follows the tax work, not the label
Fixed feeScope and price agreed before work begins
VirtualColorado-based, selected-state practice
Why rental tax work is different
Your rental is not just another line on a tax return.
The correct result can depend on how the property is used, the average rental stay, who participates, whether losses are currently usable, how depreciation has been tracked, and what changed during the year.
Loss treatment
A reported rental loss may not be an available loss.
Material participation, passive activity rules, Form 8582, at-risk limitations, and the rest of the household return can determine whether a loss is used now or carried forward.
Depreciation & continuity
Depreciation decisions can follow the property for years.
Basis, land allocation, improvements, cost segregation, suspended losses, personal-use history, and prior reporting can matter long after the property was purchased.
How Alpine can help
Three types of work. One recommendation based on what you actually need.
Alpine does not price solely by whether a property is an STR or LTR, and does not require every rental owner to buy the same advisory package. The engagement is scoped around the compliance, planning, and technical work the facts actually support.
Recurring foundation
Real Estate Investor Tax Preparation
Annual individual tax preparation for good-fit rental property owners who need the return prepared correctly without buying planning they do not need.
- Form 1040 and agreed state return preparation
- Schedule E and applicable rental reporting
- Depreciation and passive-loss continuity
- Review of ordinary rental-related return issues
- Electronic filing and normal return questions
Additional rentals, states, K-1s, business activity, cleanup, sales, exchanges, and other complexity affect the fixed quote.
Start with the fit assessmentWhen recurring decisions justify it
Annual Tax Planning
Planning is added when there are meaningful recurring decisions to make during the year—not simply because a taxpayer owns an STR or LTR.
- Household tax projections
- Estimated tax and withholding review
- Year-end rental-tax planning
- Depreciation and acquisition considerations
- Written actions and bounded implementation follow-up
Planning is quoted as a fixed fee after Alpine understands the recurring decisions and expected work.
See planning detailsDefined technical work
Real Estate Tax Projects
A purchase, conversion, sale, exchange, depreciation problem, or short-term rental issue may require focused work beyond annual tax preparation.
New rental setupSTR material participationCost segregation reviewMixed use / §280AResidence conversionRental sale / §1211031 exchangeDepreciation remediationForm 3115
Technical projects are separately scoped so substantial analysis does not silently become part of a basic preparation fee.
View project examples
The smallest complete engagement that solves the tax problem.
A stable rental owner may need preparation only. A year with a major purchase, cost segregation study, conversion, sale, 1031 exchange, or participation issue may justify planning or a separate project. Alpine recommends the scope the year actually requires instead of forcing every investor into the same package.
Pricing guide
Enough transparency to know whether Alpine is in your budget.
Alpine uses fixed-fee engagements based on the actual work required. These public ranges are guideposts—not a menu of line-item charges.
Individual tax preparation
Real Estate Investor Tax Preparation
$1,500 minimum engagement
For a straightforward individual real estate investor return. As properties, states, K-1s, business activity, transactions, records, or other household complexity increase, the quote increases.
Expected pricing range: approximately $1,800–$3,000+ for many good-fit investor preparation engagements, depending on complexity.
Preparation + recurring planning
Tax Preparation + Annual Planning
$4,000–$5,500+ general combined pricing guide
For investors who have meaningful recurring decisions during the year and need projections, year-end planning, written actions, and bounded implementation follow-up in addition to preparation.
Planning is not required simply because you own rental property.
Defined technical work
Real Estate Tax Projects
Around $1,500+ many focused projects begin here
Examples include STR material participation, cost segregation review, residence/rental conversions, sales, 1031 exchanges, depreciation remediation, and other defined rental-tax questions.
More complex projects are priced from the actual scope.
No public line-item menu. Alpine does not publish internal per-rental, per-state, or K-1 add-ons because those are scoping tools—not products. After the relevant facts are reviewed, you receive one recommended engagement with a clear fixed fee and exclusions before work begins.
Who Alpine is built for
Individual real estate investors—not every type of taxpayer.
A typical Alpine client is an individual or married couple with residential rental activity, often alongside W-2 income, who wants a CPA familiar with the way real estate affects the individual tax return.
Common good-fit situations
- One to several long-term rental properties
- Short-term rental or vacation-rental activity
- W-2 income plus rental real estate
- House hacking or residence-to-rental changes
- Buying another rental or considering cost segregation
- Preparing to sell, exchange, or convert a property
- Organized records and willingness to document important facts
Intentional boundaries
Alpine focuses on individual Form 1040 work. The firm generally does not prepare partnership or S corporation returns, bookkeeping, payroll, lodging tax, or unrelated accounting work.
If an entity return is required, the client separately engages another CPA for that return. Alpine may coordinate the K-1 and individual-level real estate tax work when the overall engagement remains a good fit.
Alpine is based in Colorado Springs and works virtually with clients in selected states. State and household complexity are screened before an engagement is accepted.
Examples from prior Alpine matters
01 / Section 1031 reporting
02 / Short-term rental classification
Rental-tax details can materially change what a return is reporting.
These examples arose while Alpine was evaluating or handling planning, tax preparation, or separately scoped correction work. They illustrate the kinds of issues a real-estate-focused CPA may need to identify.
The return said fully tax-deferred. The closing documents did not.
A prior return reported roughly $480,000 of gain as fully deferred under Section 1031. Comparing the return, closing package, and movement of funds showed that a substantial portion of the proceeds had not moved through the qualified intermediary as reported, and required state tracking was missing.
Why it mattered
About $150,000
The amount treated as deferred represented approximately $150,000 of potential tax exposure and affected recognized gain, replacement-property basis, depreciation, and future state reporting.
The STR was paying self-employment tax its operating facts did not support.
The property had been reported on Schedule C for multiple years even though the operating facts did not include substantial guest services such as daily housekeeping during stays, meals, or concierge services.
What changed after review
15.3%
After the facts and open filing years were evaluated, amended returns recovered self-employment tax previously paid at the 15.3% rate.
Important: These examples are based on actual prior client matters. Identifying and nonessential facts have been changed to protect confidentiality. Outcomes depend on complete facts, records, applicable law, and available filing periods. They are not promises of similar results.
How to begin
Enough information to scope the work—without turning the sales call into free tax consulting.
The goal of the front-end process is to determine fit, understand the household and rental footprint, and give you one clear fixed-fee recommendation.
Complete the assessment
Share the household, property, state, entity, and current-year facts that help Alpine screen fit.
Provide the requested return
If the situation appears promising, Alpine requests enough prior-year information to understand the 1040 and rental history.
Resolve scope questions
A focused call is used when material facts still need to be clarified. Substantive planning begins only after engagement.
Receive one recommendation
You receive the recommended scope, important exclusions, and a fixed fee based on the work Alpine is agreeing to perform.
Engage securely
Work starts after the engagement letter and required payment are completed through the secure client portal.
Johnny Lujan, CPAOwner, Alpine CPA Services
CPA judgment informed by real estate experience
A focused practice for the individual investor.
Johnny is a licensed Colorado CPA who also spent approximately eight years as a licensed Colorado real estate professional before focusing on tax.
That real estate background does not replace technical tax analysis. It helps Alpine ask better questions about how a property was acquired, used, improved, financed, converted, rented, or sold—and how those facts interact with the individual tax return.
Alpine is intentionally centered on individual residential real estate investors rather than trying to serve every type of business and taxpayer. That narrower focus is designed to make common rental-property issues easier to identify, scope, and handle consistently.
Common questions
What rental property owners usually want to know before hiring a CPA.
Do you work with both STR and LTR owners?
Yes. Alpine works with both short-term and long-term rental owners. Pricing and scope depend on the actual tax work rather than automatically charging a different package because a property is labeled STR or LTR.
What does real estate investor tax preparation cost?
Alpine's minimum individual real estate investor preparation fee is $1,500. For planning purposes, many good-fit investor preparation engagements should expect a quote around $1,800–$3,000+ as properties, states, K-1s, transactions, or other household complexity increase.
Do I have to buy annual tax planning?
No. Planning is added when the year includes recurring decisions that justify it. If accurate tax preparation is all you need, Alpine can recommend preparation only.
Do you prepare partnership or S corporation returns?
Generally, no. Alpine focuses on the individual Form 1040. When an entity return is required, another CPA can prepare the entity return while Alpine coordinates the individual-level rental tax work when appropriate.
Start with the right facts
Looking for a CPA who understands rental property taxation?
Tell Alpine about your household and rental activity. If the firm appears to be a fit, you will receive one clear fixed-fee recommendation before work begins.
